3 thoughts on “Portfolios in the Classroom”

Dana, howdy! I touched on this topic briefly on my blog today…the main obstacle is access to technology on a regular basis. At this rate, eportfolios will only happen as places to place our best work, another form of publishing…they won't be the catch-all for all our work.

I like to use portfolios–the old manila folders–as the catch-all for students' writing. Everything goes in but only certain pieces are selected for grading or display.

With the lack of access to tech, students can't do that. They can't pick the best or top 10 entries of their blog and point to it as the work they want. Instead, they do everything paper and pencil, then pick from there…which defeats the purpose of a portfolio of work.

The BEST portfolios we kept (included every subject) were from 1996-2000. It was a 3 yr portfolio (grades 6-8). It included pictures and 5 paragraph reflections on major tests/projects, etc. It also included pieces that were "rough."

Email me, Dana, if interested in specifics… MAN, were they work… MAN, did I as teacher, and they as kid.. see growth. a ton.